The present invention relates to a method and device for draining and storing wet and/or soiled items in the vicinity of a sink. Sinks are commonly located in areas where space is at a premium, and, especially in commercial environments, sinks are often used to rinse or cleanse soiled (frequently chemically contaminated) instruments, tools, and utensils.
One such sink is prevalent in hair salons. Hair salons typically utilize single-basin sinks and commonly refer to these single-basin sinks as shampoo bowls. With this single-basin sink, the hair stylist performs a myriad of tasks from simple shampooing and rinsing, to coloring and perming hair. The coloring process requires color bowls, bottles, brushes, and clips to be washed, drained, and dried after each use. Similarly, perm rods and combs need to be washed and sanitized after use. Because space is at a premium in typical salons, instruments used for perming and coloring hair are frequently placed in the sink basin immediately after use. At this point, the instruments are contaminated with residual perm or color solution. It is highly undesirable for the stylist to expose his/her next client to these residual contaminants. Thus, to avoid the risks of cross-contamination or unintentionally exposing a second client to residual perm chemicals or color solution, the instruments must be removed from the sink and the sink must be rinsed before the next shampoo. However, the problem of where to place the soiled instruments remains.
One solution, often used when the stylist is pressed for time, is to simply move the soiled instruments from the sink basin to a nearby shelf or counter. This technique is unsightly, messy, and unsanitary. As mentioned, space surrounding the sink is at a premium which limits the number of items which can be stored therearound and which results in a very cluttered appearance if items are stored therearound. Further, the bowls, bottles, brushes, etc., are frequently wet which may result in contaminated fluids dripping from the shelf or counter, and may leave a soiled residue on shelves and counters. As an alternative, the stylist may wash and rinse the instruments and then place them on nearby shelves/counters. If the stylist diligently washes and rinses the items, this technique is more sanitary. However, this technique is still unsightly and requires the stylist to spend valuable time cleaning instruments during peek business hours. As another alternative, it is possible to place a container on a nearby shelf or on the floor in the vicinity of the sink. However, space constraints require these containers to be quite small which necessitates frequent trips to a central sterilizing/storage location to empty the containers, and the containers are typically too cumbersome to be placed adjacent the sink where they would be in the way of the stylist.
Extension tables and ledges which attach to the rim or ledge of a sink and increase the shelf area around the sink are known in the art. (See U.S. Pat. No. 2,162,887 issued to Hart; and German Patent Publication No. 654,857). However, these items are not equipped to drain soiled or contaminated instruments/tools and require a rim or flange of a particular design to attach them to the side of the sink and therefore lack adaptability for use with various sink configurations. Further, specially designed strainers are also known in the art (See U.S. Pat. No. 587,559 issued to Riley and U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,007 issued to Kolada). These devices are specifically designed to drain tools, instruments, and utensils. However, these devices are designed to support the instruments or tools within the same sink basin that the fluid is draining into, thereby occupying valuable work area within the basin. Further, as with the single-basin shampoo bowls in the hairstyling industry, because an operator must frequently use this single basin at the same time the instruments are draining therein, the problem of cross-contamination is not addressed by these prior art designs.